Salesforce Wants to Jumpstart Retail Innovation With POS Built on GenAI

Retailers, particularly post-COVID, are operating in a world where the lines between physical and digital commerce have permanently blurred. Consumers no longer see channels; they see convenience.

This evolution of the retail customer experience was the dominant theme at NRF 2025, where Salesforce unveiled a point-of-sale (POS) operating system built on generative artificial intelligence (GenAI).

“We’re not here to complement the status quo — we’re here to replace it,” Nitin Mangtani, SVP and GM, retail, Salesforce, told PYMNTS Karen Webster. “Retailers need technology that doesn’t just power transactions but transforms the entire shopping experience from discovery to checkout. That’s what this GenAI-powered POS is built to do.”

Businesses, Mangtani explained, must respect today’s fluid consumer journeys, which intertwine physical and digital touchpoints. For instance, a consumer might discover a product through a TikTok video, purchase it online, and exchange it in-store.

“Unified commerce is not just a buzzword. It’s table stakes. The consumer journey today is so intertwined that attributing success to one channel is nearly impossible,” he added, stressing the importance of GenAI powered and cloud-based POS systems to help with online and offline shopping.

Still, for retailers, the challenge lies not only in adopting today’s cutting-edge technologies, like GenAI, but also in integrating them in ways that respect and enhance the customer journey.

Unified Commerce Backed by GenAI

If unified commerce is the backbone of modern retail, GenAI is its future. Salesforce’s own recent announcements at NRF — including Agentforce for Retail and Retail Cloud with Modern POS — underscore the company’s commitment to leveraging AI to reimagine the shopping experience.

GenAI offers a unique advantage in this unified commerce narrative. Salesforce’s new POS system doesn’t just handle transactions — it acts as a fully integrated, intelligent agent capable of personalizing every touchpoint. Whether it’s recommending products, processing returns, or adjusting orders in real time, this system is designed to remove friction at every stage of the customer journey.

“Imagine asking your agent for a jacket, and it provides six options that match your tastes. You can refine your request further, like specifying leather jackets, and it will adjust instantly,” explained Mangtani of the Agentforce solution.

The second area of focus for Agentforce is post-purchase interactions, such as tracking orders, correcting shipping details, or switching delivery methods. These interactions are powered by robust data systems, ensuring accuracy.

“In enterprise, a ‘maybe’ answer doesn’t work,” Mangtani emphasized.

Beyond these capabilities, Salesforce’s vision includes enabling businesses to build AI agents with minimal technical overhead. “You don’t need to write hundreds of thousands of lines of code to deploy these agents,” Mangtani explained. This low barrier to entry is critical, especially when time-to-market is a decisive factor.

According to Mangtani, “Consumers have shifted dramatically to agent-driven interactions. For many, including myself, the primary interface is no longer search; it’s an agent. GenAI represents a superset of all previous technologies — it’s the future, and we’ve built a platform that aligns with that vision.”

Rethinking Store Experience

For decades, the physical store experience has remained largely static, with checkout being the final, often cumbersome step. Mangtani sees this as an opportunity for disruption. “Why should checkout be a 20-minute ordeal?” he asked, highlighting the frustration consumers feel after deciding to make a purchase.

Drawing inspiration from Apple, where associates can complete transactions anywhere in the store, Mangtani emphasized the importance of mobility in POS solutions.

“POS is no longer a cash-and-carry device,” he stressed.

Instead, it has evolved into a tool for delivering a unified customer experience, bridging online and in-store interactions. The shift toward smaller, brand-owned stores further amplifies the need for flexible POS systems that integrate digital catalogs.

“Even if you don’t have the product in stock, showing it on an iPad and completing the transaction ensures you don’t lose the sale,” he added.

Despite the allure of cutting-edge technologies, retailers remain focused on ROI. Mangtani observed that modern CIOs are savvy, fiscally disciplined, and ROI-driven. This mindset has fostered a healthier ecosystem, where investments in technology are made strategically.

Read more: Salesforce to Launch AI Agents and Cloud-Based POS for Retailers

“Whether it’s Saks Fifth Avenue or other customers, we’re seeing real ROI in terms of reduced wait times, better customer service, and higher sales conversion rates,” Mangtani said of retailers that have embraced AI-powered unified commerce solutions.

“During peak shopping seasons, service often deteriorates due to insufficient staffing,” he added. “With AI, you can triage service calls, reduce wait times, and improve the overall customer experience.”

Despite the crowded nature of the POS market, Salesforce’s approach feels less like a competitive entry and more like the introduction of an entirely new category. With a broad definition of retail that includes everything from luxury fashion to home furnishings, the company is betting big on a market that’s seen little innovation in decades.

“Think about payments 12 years ago,” Mangtani said. “Nobody thought there was room for new players, but Stripe and Adyen proved otherwise. The POS market is the same — it’s ripe for disruption.”